Automatic lock slider



P. NATZLER AUTOMATIC LOCK SLIDER Dec. 26, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 1945 Dec. 26, 1950 P. NATZLER 2,535,508

I AUTOMATIC LOCK SLIDER Filed May 5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 52 3e 34 36 54 @120 O 2 I 2a I I l INVENTOR. r2

. PAUL NATZLER ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 26, 1950 UNITED ST ES? PATENT OF AUTOMATIC LOCKISLIDER Paul Natzler, Jackson' lHeights, N; Y., .assig'nor"to ConmariProdu'cts' CorporationpNewark, N i J E, acorporation o'f -Newlersey- Application Mayfi, 1945, Serial No; 592,165"

This" inventionrelates matic lock slider-for slide'iasteners.

In-automatic'lock sliders of thetype of the" present invention, a spring operated locking member, which automatically locks the slider to the slide fastener stringers with which itisused,

is operable by' means ofa pull deviceto disengage the locking member and thereby unlock the slider.

In automatic lock'sliders of this type the lockingmember is usually so fulc'rumed or pivoted on the slider that under the influence of across pull, or a seriesof cross pulls, exerted on the mating stringersia condition met with in ordinary use) the locking member, particularly whensomewhat wornaway' at its locking tooth,

may be sprung or become unseated by the-action thereon of the looked'fastener element, with the result that the slider will creep along and thereby move in the fastener openin direction.

The prime object of m present invention centers about the provision of an-automatic lock sliderso designed and constructed that a cross pull exerted on the matingstrin'gers has substantiallyno tendency'to cause the locked fas tener'element to'*unseat or disengagethe-lock ing'member and thereby move' theslid'erin the fastener opening" direction, the construction be ingsuch that such across pullexerted'on'the stringers will; if anything, have the effect of" more securely l'ockingthe' slider instead of pro-= ducing any ten'clencyto unseat or spring the locking member.

Ancillaryobjects of the closing direction will move-the locking member positively to the full unlocking condition; and the provision of" such an automatic lock slider embodying" a" construction of exceedingly simple design.

To the accomplishment ofthe foregoing and view of the automatic lock slider 'embodyingthe principles of the present invention;

Fig. 2*is a" partially sectioned side view thereof,- the section beingita-ken through the slider air proximately in the plane of theline 2--'2"in' Fig: 1;

to an improved auto invention center around'the provisionoi an automatic" lock slider of thi character in which theoperation ofthe pull in either the fastener opening or fastener" (Cl. 24-205514i the locking member and one end of the slider cap being shown in elevation;

Fig; 3 is avie'w thereof tak'enin cross-section Fig; 41s a front elevationalview of the slider? body;

Fig: 5 is an isometric'view of theiocking mem ber;

Fig; Gisa-view similarto Fig; 2 and showingj the locking member in unlocking condition; and Fig. 7 is'a detail illustrating;the-connection between the cap and the slider body.

Referring now morein detail to thedraw-"i ings; the "automatic look sliderfof the present in vention comprises'a slider body B having'the usualiront wing" lltandmear'wing' [2 connected at the top by meansof-a neck-or-so-called di amond M- to form or" define interiorly-a Y- shaped sliderchannel 1 I 6 for reception and move "mentoi apair of mating slide fastener string ers; a locking member generally designated as means such as -aspring'l B-active on the-locking member Liormovingthe same to the locking condition shown iii-Fig; 2 ofthe-drawings: and a pull device 2 0 mounted on the front "slider'wingg. operative-on 1 the locking member L for 'movin'g'j the same to the unlocking position shown infidel"- 6 ofthe drawings;

The slider body CB? besides'having the' conve r tional shape describe-(rand besides havinganorifice 2i. inits front wingv I 0 for theio'ckingtoothf of the locking member L, isin the preferred 'em;- bodiment of the presentinventionformedwitn a top mg 24 and *a'bottom lug 26 over which abap;

form" of adished orr hollow member' made of piece 28" is placed or mounted, thelatter in the sheet metal, which member may be aiiixed m the lugs by any suitable means as by having'f barbs-3t," 30 (four in" number)" struck in from the *side walIs 'of the cap-'whichprojectinto' and? become seatedin recesses 32; sz'provided'inithe" lugs 24 and26'; Thecap piece 28 i provided in itsopposite sides with the cam slotsSfl-i Slforthe reception "of" the trunnions 36; 36 ofthepullf device 20'. Thecap'piece 28 forms a housing for I the locking member '11 and its associated Darts and also assists in the camming action of the pull device'='2fl; the trunnions ofthepullbeingj movable overthe locking member I; and in the camsl'ots 34; Mei the cap piece.

In the iormx-ofthe invention exemplified; the;

slider body 13 comprises 'aone piece die cast unit: shown separately in. Fig; '4 of "the drawings. The

ings. The locking member L and the spring I8 are loosely assembled into their positions shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings and are retained in these positions by the attachment of the housing cap 28. A construction is thus provided which is exceeding simple in design, and which is made of a minimum number of parts, so shaped and coordinated as to permit simple and rapid assembling operations. I

To accomplish the main object of the invention, the locking member L is made to comprise a lever having two fulcra F and F one adjacent to and the other remote from the locking point p of the locking tooth 38 of the locking member, the fulcrum F functioning when the slide fastener stringers are subjected to cross pull and the fulcrum F functioning when the locking member L is operated to the unlockin position by actuation of the pull device 20. Both the fulcra F and F are preferabl formed in the upper slider wing in and so that the locking member L may b assembled to the slider body-B by merely being placed in the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The adjacent fulcrum F is preferably formedby the upper wall 40 of the orifice 22 through which the locking tooth 38 projects into theslider channel 6. The fulcrum F is formed as a cavity 42 in the front face of the top slider wing Ill. The fulcrum F'- is adjacent to andthe fulcrum F is remote from the locking tooth in a direction longitudinal of the slider wing.

The exemplified form of locking member L (seeparticularly Fig. 5) comprisesa medial weblike portion 44 and laterally enlarged end portions 46 and 48. The end portion 46 is so formed as to provide the pull engaging cam surfaces 52; and the end portion 48 is so formed as to provide the pull-engaging cam surfaces 54. The cam engaging surfaces 52 and 54 are on opposite sides of the remote fulcrum F and, therefore, on opposite sides of the stud portion 50 formed in the end portion 48, the said stud portion defining in conjunction with the cavity 42 the said remote fulcrum F One side of the endportion 46 is shaped to provide the locking tooth 38; and the adjacent part of the web-like portion 44 is shaped to form a tooth or stud 5 6-one region of which complements the orifice wall 40 to form or define thefulcrum F. The top surface or wall 58 of the locking lever L forms a hearing or engaging means for the restoring sprin H3. The trunnions 36 of the pull guided in the cam slots 34 of the cap' piece 28 are movable to engage the respective pull engaging cam surfaces 52 and 54 for silder opening and slider. closing operations. It has been found empirically and from theoretical determinations that where the buttress angle,. i. e., the angle formed by a line betweenv the fastener engaged locking point of the looking tooth and the fulcrum, and a line running horizontally from such engaged point, is small, the force serving to hold the locking tooth in locking engagement. is not strong enough when across pull exerted on the slide fastener stringers take place. In such a case, on exertion of a strong cross pull the locking engagement is un- Wantedly released. Such a cross pull (or a series of cross pulls) exerted on the mating stringers becomes effective on the locked fastener element e thereof (see Fig. 2) in the direction indicated by the arrow 60 to forciblyengage the locking tooth 38 at the locking point 12. Where the de-- fined buttress angle is small, this forcibl en-.

gagement tends to move the.locking element laterally (out of its locking position) and thus to spring, unseat or disengage the same. Such an undesirable result is produced, for example, in a construction in which only the fulcrum F would be provided; for in such event the defined buttress angle would be the comparatively small angle 8 indicated in Fig. 2. Such a small buttress angle is always an incident in a construction where the fulcrum is distant from the looking tooth, a normal desideratum, since such a distant fulcrum provides for a desirably long pull device operating leverage. It is to obviate this defect and to improve the functioning of lock sliders of this type that the locking lever L, in addition to being provided with this desirable distant or remote fulcrum, is provided with the adjacent fulcrum F. As will readily be seen from Fig. 2 of the drawings, the adjacent fulcrum F, that is to say, the fulcrum next adjacent the locking tooth 38, produces a buttress angle a which is substantially larger than the angle 5. As aforedefined, this buttress angle a is formed by a line between the fastener engaged locking point p of the locking tooth and the fulcrum F", and a line running horizontally from such engaged point p. The provision of this adjacent fulcrum providing a substantially large buttress angle has the effect that on a cross pull the locking tooth 38 becomes more securely locked in position instead of being subjected to any unseating tendency.

The operation of this automatic lock slider will be most apparent from Figs. 2 and 6 of the drawings. The locking member L is urged into its locking position by the spring [8. In this position, which is thenormal one, the locking tooth 38 is in engagement with the fastener element 6. When the slider is moved either in the opening or closing direction by means of the pull 2%,the locking tooth is freed from the locking engagement and the locking member L (in Whatever direction the slider is moved) is rocked about the fulcrum F When the pull device 20 is moved in the slider opening direction (shownin full lines in Fig. 6), its trunnions 36 engage the top portion of the cam surfaces 52 of the locking member and rock the locking member so.

that its locking tooth 38 is disengaged positively from the slide fastener stringers; and when the pulldevice 26 is moved in the slider closing direction (dash-dotted lines in Fig. 6), its trunnions engage the cam surfaces 54 of the locking member to similarly move the same so that its locking tooth 38 disengages positively from the slide fastener stringers. T he positioning of these cam surfaces on the opposite sides of the fulcrum F enables this positive operation to take place for both of the opposite slider operations. When the locking member is thus operated by either directional pull of the pull 2B, the tooth 56 of the adjacent fulcrum F disengages itself freely from its fulcrumseatdfi. When the parts are in the slider locked condition shown in Fig. 2, a cross pull ex-- erted on the slide fastener stringers becomes so effective that the locking member L has a tendency to be urged in its opposite rocking direction about the adjacent fulcrum F, thus causing the locking tooth to become more firmly locked in 3 and reel. .W fl fieine. e iigr a der n: w;

'nel'jfor slide: fastener stringe s;alockingsmember mounted on oneofithe-slider wingsandprovided with :a flocking :tooth extending through -1said mounting *wings into :the ,a slider -.channel, the

mounting wing f said slider body having ,two

fulcra, said; lockinglmember. comprising a lever cooperating with said. two ffulcra, one fulcrum being adjacent to and the :other being remote from saidjlocking1tooth, said'locking lever havinga medialcwebrportion and enlarged endportions, 1 the enlarged .;end1.=.portions. iproviding pull engaging surfacesa pull movable along the web portion and engageablew-with said enlarged end portions for operatingthe locking: member, -.operation of thepullabeing effectiveafor movingthe locking leverabout. its remote fulcrurn to'an unlocking position, andacrosspull exerted on the stringers being effective for v.urging thelocking lever about its :adjacent fulcrum to hold it in locked position.

2. An automatic loci: sliderforslide fasteners comprising-a slider body having connected front and rear wings defining interiorlyiaslider channel for slide fastener stringers, a locking member mountedonone of-the Slider wings and providedwith a locking toothoextending through said wing into the slider channel, a pull for operating said slider. and locking member, the mounting wing of said slider body havingtwo fulcra, said locking 1 member comprising a ,lever cooperating with said two fulcra, one fulcrum beingadjacent to and the other being remote from said locking tooth in a direction-longitudinal of the wing, operation of the pull beingneffective formoving the locking lever about its remoterfulcrum toan unlockingposition, and across-pull exertedon the stringers being effective for urging the looking lever about its adjacent fulcrum to hold it in locked position, a cap secured to the mounting wing for housing said locking lever, the said locking lever being provided with a pull-engaging portion on one side and a pull-engaging portion on the other side of its remote fulcrum, said cap being provided with cam slots in its opposite sides, the pull being movable in said cam slots to engage said respective pull-engaging portions on the locking lever for slider-opening and slider-closing operations.

3. An automatic lock slider for slide fasteners comprisin a slider body having front and rear wings connected by a neck and defining interiorly a slider channel for slide fastener stringers, a rigid locking member mounted on one of the slider wings and provided with a locking tooth extending through an opening in said mounting wing into the slider channel, a pull for operating said slider and locking member, the mounting wing of said slider body having two fulcrum surfaces, said locking member comprising a lever having two fulcra projecting beyond the adjacent surfaces of the lever and cooperating respectively with said two fulcrum surfaces, one fulcrum being adjacent to and the other being remote from said locking tooth in a direction longi-- tudinal of the wing, the adjacent fulcrum projecting toward the neck and bearing against the wall of the opening through the mounting wing, and said remote lever fulcrum projecting toward and bearing against the outside of the mounting wing, said pull slidably engaging said locking member and being thereby shiftable toward one end of the slider or the other, operation of the pull in either fastener-opening or fastener-closing direction being effective for rocking the locking member about its remote fulcrum to an unlocking position, .2 and :a ."CIOSS s-pull :exerted on :the stringers: beingeeifective for urging '1 the docking members about its adjacent fulcrum :to'hold. itadn locked position.

4., An automaticiilock-slider' for slidefasteners comprising .a'islider pbody having. front: and .:rear wings connected. by a neck and defininginteriorly a.:slider;channel *for: slide fastener stringers, a rigid locking member. :mounted :on; oneof .the slider .wings and provided. withsa locking ctooth extendingzthroughwan openingg. innsaid mounting win irinto;thesliderchannel a pull for operating said slider ;\and .locking member, the'vmounting wing vof said:slioler'body having ,two fulcrum surfacessaid flocking member. comprising a lever havingtwo fulcra projecting beyond the; adiaoent :surfaces .of the lever xandricooperating :respectively @with ;said .two fulcrum.isurfacesgone fulcrum1=being adjacent to and the other being remote from :said 2' locking tooth in .a direction longitudinal of the wings, r the; adjacent fulcrum projecting toward, the neck. and bearing; against the wallet the opening. throughthe mounting wing, rand said :remote :fulcrum projecting :toward .andybearing against the outside of the mounting wing; a spring'jbearingdownwardly-on topnof said locking lever overthe locking tooth in orderzto urge the lever intoilocking @position and into seating engagement at :both fulcra; said pull-slidably engaging said;;locking membersand being thereby shiftable toward one end-of the slider orthe other, operation'of the pull in either fastener-opening or fastener-closing direction beingpeffective for movingthelocking leverabout its. remotekfulcrum to an unlocking .position, and across pull-exerted on the stringersbeing' effective. iorsurgingthe lockinglever;aboutits adjacent fulcrum to hold it in locked position.

5. An automatic lock slider for slide fasteners comprising a slider body having connected front and rear wings defining interiorly a slider channel for slide fastener stringers, a locking member mounted on one of the slider wings and provided with a locking tooth extending through said mounting wing into the slider channel, a pull for operating said slider and locking member, the mounting wing of said slider body having two fulcra, said locking member comprising a lever cooperating with said two fulcra, one fulcrum being adjacent to and the other being remote from said locking tooth in a direction longitudinal of the wing, said locking lever being provided with a pull engaging portion on one side and a pull engaging portion on the other side of said remote fulcrum, the pull being slidable on said locking lever and being thereby shiftable toward one end of the slider or the other to engage said respective pull engaging portions for slider opening and slider closing operations, operation of the pull in either fastener-opening or fastener-closing direction being effective for rocking the locking member about its remote fulcrum to an unlocking position, and a cross pull exerted on the stringers being effective for urging the locking member about its adjacent fulcrum to hold it in locked position.

6. An automatic lock slider for slide fasteners comprising a slider body having connected front and rear wings defining interiorly a slide channel for slide fastener stringers, a locking member mounted on one of the slider wings and provided with a locking tooth extending through an orifice in said mounting wing into the slider channel, a pull for operating said slider and locking member, the mounting wing of said slider body having two fulcra, said locking member comprisin a lever cooperating with said two fulcra on said mounting wing, one fulcrum being adjacent to and the other being remote from said locking tooth in a direction longitudinal of the wing, a spring active on said locking lever to urge the same into seating engagement with both fulcra, the adjacent fulcrum being formed by a wall of said orifice and the remote fulcrum being formed in the wall of said mounting wing, said locking lever being provided with a pull engaging por tion on one side and a pull engaging portion on the other side of said remote fulcrum, the pull being slidable on said locking lever and being thereby shiftable toward one end of the slider or the other to engage said respective pull engaging portions for slider opening and slider closing operations, operation of the pull in either fastener-opening or fastener closing direction being effective for moving the locking lever about its remote fulcrum to an unlocking position, and a cross pull exerted on the stringers being effective for urging the locking lever about its adjacent fulcrum to hold it in locked position 7. An automatic lock slider for slider fasteners comprising a slider body having connected front and rear wings defining interiorly a. slider channel for slide fastener stringers, a locking member mounted on one of the slider wings and provided with a locking tooth extending through said mounting wing into the slider channel, a pull for operating said slider and locking member, the mounting wing of said slider body having two fulcra, said locking member comprising a lever cooperating with said two fulcra, one fulcrum being adjacent to and the other being remote from said locking tooth in a direction longitudinal of the wing, and a cap secured to the mounting wing for housing said locking lever, the said lever being provided with a pull engaging portion on one side and a pull engaging portion on the other side of its remote fulcrum, said cap being provided with cam slots in its opposite sides, the pull being slidable in said cam slots and being thereby shiftable toward one end of the slider or the other to engage said respective pull engaging portions on the locking lever for slider opening and slider closing operations, operation of the pull in either fastener-opening or fastenerclosing direction being effective for rocking the locking member about its remote fulcrum to an unlocking position, and a cross pull exerted on the stringers being effective for urging the locking member about its adjacent fulcrum to hold it in locked position.

PAUL NATZLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,215,745 Sundback Sept. 24, 1940 2,274,723 Morin Mar. 3, 1942 2,277,506 Beckwith Mar. 24, 1942 2,289,585 Marinsky July 14, 1942 2,30,437 Mikulas et a1 Oct. 17, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 109,995 Austria Mar. 4, 1940 837,464 France of 1938 

